Mesa

Jerry Schad had a simple explanation for his ability to quickly experience every mile he wrote about in his guidebooks, which helped expand hiking opportunities in Southern California: "I run through the boring parts and walk through the interesting ones. " His "Afoot and Afield in San Diego County," first published in 1986, is regarded as the preeminent guide to the region's trails. He followed it with two other well-regarded "Afoot and Afield" books, on Orange County and then Los Angeles County.

He remembers driving by rows of eucalyptus trees that protected bean fields from coastal breezes. That was in the 1930s, when Costa Mesa was still rural enough to be called Goat Hill and Jack Skinner was just a boy. Today, Skinner, 80, a prominent local environmental activist, says the towering trees have outlived their time. "One would call me a tree-hugger," he said, "but health would prevail in this particular case. " Contractors on Wednesday began removing about 100 eucalyptus trees following a fatal accident last week in which a falling tree killed a motorist.

Authorities were still looking for answers on Friday, one day after a 10-ton tree toppled onto a car waiting at a stoplight, crushing the driver. Haeyoon Miller, 29, was killed when the trunk of the 50-foot eucalyptus tree slammed into the roof of her Hyundai Accent as she waited at 17th Street and Irvine Avenue on Thursday afternoon. The Orange County coroner's officer listed the cause of death as accidental blunt-force trauma. Public safety officials and seismic and horticultural experts were investigating the accident but had only theories to work with, from moist soil to trimmed roots to this week's magnitude 3.5 earthquake in Newport Beach.

A young woman was killed Thursday afternoon when a 50- to 70-foot eucalyptus tree planted in an Orange County street median fell on her car as she waited at a red light. Bystanders swarmed the scene after the tree came to rest in the three southbound lanes of Irvine Avenue north of 17th Street in Costa Mesa. Haeyoon Miller, 29, of Tustin was stopped on the roadway when the tree hit her blue 2002 Hyundai Accent GS. Miller was initially conscious and talking, said witness McKenzie Soylula, 16. Costa Mesa Fire Capt.

Bring it to Tony. That's what parents and coaches have been telling young sailors for more than 30 years. Tony Burica repairs Naples sabots, the popular eight-foot boats that can be seen skimming across the water in places like Newport Harbor. As the summer racing season winds up, Burica, 83, begins another year of patching, sanding and painting. And this may be his last. As soon as he can find someone to take over his Victoria Street shop, which Burica built, he plans to retire to spend more time with his wife, Tereza.

Extreme athletes use all sorts of devices to propel themselves into the air, including skateboards, BMX bikes, skis and, in the case of Pogopalooza, pogo sticks. Over three days, pogo-ers from around the world will spring into action to see who can grab the most air, pull off the best trick and challenge five world records. OC Fair & Event Center, 88 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa. 1-4 p.m. Thu. 4-9 p.m. Fri. and Sat. $12.50 each day (includes admission to the OC Fair). (714) 708-1500. http://www.xpogo.org/pogopalooza.

Barred by the courts from slashing its payroll by outsourcing city jobs to private companies, Costa Mesa is now exploring forming partnerships with neighboring cities to share municipal services. City officials said they are looking into sharing such things as police SWAT teams, emergency dispatch operations and animal control. Costa Mesa has become a flash point in California in the debate over government finances for its plan to reduce expenses and pension costs by cutting more than 200 workers, a drastic proposal that has caught the attention of political and labor interests throughout the state.

My motive as a negotiator was pure, and my efforts honest. But after meeting with elected officials last week, I was unable to deliver any measure of labor peace in Costa Mesa, where half the city's employees have been notified they could soon be fired and replaced by private contractors. Luckily, the court stepped in where journalism failed, and employees got a temporary reprieve Tuesday when an Orange County Superior Court judge ordered a postponement of the layoffs until a lawsuit is heard.

Costa Mesa cannot lay off employees by outsourcing their jobs to private companies until the city goes through proper legal steps, an Orange County Superior Court judge ruled Tuesday. In a preliminary injunction barring the city from implementing its outsourcing plans, Judge Tam Nomoto Schumann said Costa Mesa must follow necessary steps if it plans to replace 213 employees primarily with private workers. The city issued the layoff notices in March. City officials, meanwhile, said they believed they were in compliance with the law and should be able to execute their austerity measures.

He stood at the gate to his United Airlines flight, ready to head home to Chicago after two years on the streets of Costa Mesa. Jose Zamora might not have been there but for the man standing next to him, who had come to see him off at John Wayne Airport. Julian Trevino, a Costa Mesa police officer, not only helped Zamora get an identification card but also helped him contact a sister to buy the $485 ticket home. Soon Zamora, 50, would rejoin his family and see his granddaughter for the first time.